WOZZECK
by Alban Berg

(after the play Woyzeck by Georg Büchner as adapted by Paul Landau)

It is a musical masterpiece that revolutionized 20th-century opera.  It is revolutionary for a number of reasons:

ATONALITY - It is the first atonal work to become part of the operatic repertory, although like most controversial landmark works it took some time getting there.

SUBJECT MATTER - It is an opera less of plot than of anguish - a karmic psychological drama surrounding a lowly soldier humiliated by superiors, trapped in an uncaring world, driven to madness, jealousy and murder - of his woman Marie, his only link to stability.

Scenes from WOZZECK


Production Photos: Ken Friedman Courtesy SFO